When one thinks of great horror films, one does not often think of the Christian gospel. But when Christian screenwriters Chad and Carey Hayes wrote The Conjuring(2013), the second highest grossing original horror film behind The Exorcist, that’s exactly what they had in mind. The film was intended to portray God’s victory over evil and concluded with this bold statement:

“Diabolical forces are formidable. These forces are eternal, and they exist today. The fairy tale is true.The devil exists. God exists. And for us, as people, our very destiny hinges upon which one we elect to follow.”

Their highly anticipated sequel, The Conjuring 2, arrives in theaters this weekend and critics say it is even scarier than its predecessor. But, according to the Hayes brothers, they’ve buried another Christian message in this film–namely, a story “about God always being there for those in need.”